Interloper
by Parodia the Silent
Summary: Human-In-Equestria. Dirk Forrester is a 19 year-old guy who lives on his own in the forest. After repeatedly tampering with something he found when he was 10, he gets stuck in Equestria. He eventually finds his way to Ponyville with some help and decides to stay there until he can bring himself home. HIATUS {sorry}


I quietly close the cabin door and step out into the wide expanse of forest before me. My walks in the woods are never boring. The trees, despite their age, always seem to be growing in incomprehensible ways. Though I've found, through thorough observation of said trees, that the trees have not changed in the slightest. It instead seems to be a sensation. In the past I tried to find what gives off this aura that says 'Something has changed. Go find it.' But to no avail.

Although once I had given up it seems the answer had been in front of at that moment.

So here I stand now. Before a tree that I marked by half-burying a rock at it's roots. The tree is not what seems to saturate the forest in that feeling. Instead a distortion in the air. So feeble you would never see it unless you'd seen it before. The anticipation I normally feel watching this small spectacle is completely hidden beneath something I haven't felt since the first time: overwhelming anxiety.

As sweat begins to trickle down my forehead I hear rustling in the underbrush behind me. I spin around, nearly tripping over my own feet in the process. The bushes cease their rustling and from them leaps a cat. I let out a sigh of relief as the cat pods over to me and slings itself over my shoulder. I should've known the cat would follow me. She always does. I found her about two years ago and she just followed me home and never left.

"You're still coming?" I ask her jokingly. "I thought you were tired of this by now."

She simply mews in response from her spot on my shoulder. I turn towards the quivering air and take a deep breath. I look at my the feline slouched over my shoulder. She's giving me a look that says _Hurry up. I'm wasting my very precious time to be here with you._

I chuckle at that thought and take a step forward, bringing myself invariably closer. The air around me begins to contract as a sound like shredding paper billows in my ears. As I'm quickly overcome by a wave of nausea, I bite the thick meaty area at the base of my thumb to keep from focusing on it.

I think to myself, _The nausea will pass soon_ , only to be proven wrong a second later as the the feeling of illness continues to grow exponentially. At this point I can simply clutch my stomach in pain. A dull pounding in my skull increases in frequency until I'm gasping in pain and discomfort.

I open my eyes which had previously been clenched shut and gaze at the forest.

 _That was… different._ Then I sleep.

I wake again after what I assume was an hour and decide against my position on the ground. I use what strength I have left and climb into a nearby tree. Finding a spot where I won't fall I quickly drown in slumber.

I'm roused from my slumber once more and although I actually somewhat rested I still haven't slept enough. What woke me is far more concerning. The branch beneath me is splintering and I can already feel gravity grabbing at me with it's unforgiving hands. My resting spot in the tree isn't very high up but I'm well aware of the damage a fall from this height will do. So in a final attempt to minimize damage, I attempt to roll enough that I'll land on my shoulder. I brace for impact, fully expecting a concussion at the very most. Or least depending on how I fall.

Instead my body hits the ground with force equivalent to a pinecone falling from a low hanging branch. Muscles still stiff I only manage to open my eyes. Once I take in my surroundings I groan. It seems that I have indeed made it through that hole in my world if the too-vibrant greens of the flora around me are any indication. The problem is that I don't here the impatient yeowling of my agile companion. It seems that she did not make it through with me. An image flickers in my head: my cat with her tiny nose pointing skyward in annoyance because the boy who had begged her to come along abandoned her. Imagining this helps me relax so with a few seconds I'm sitting up and grinning like an idiot.

Behind me I hear somebody clear their throat. That gives me enough a reason to freeze. I've never seen another living being aside from the obvious plant life in this… new world? The fact that whatever it is cleared it's throat as if impatient means that it might be a creature of intelligence.

 _This is has gone from annoying to dangerous_ really _quickly,_ I sigh and turn around, preparing myself.

I wish I could say that I hit my head a bit too hard, but clearly that's not true. At best I can describe the creature in front of me as a black horse. The only major differences are legs riddled with holes, a long jagged horn, insect-like wings, and a green carapace.

 _What is this? I was expecting to see something strange and really I shouldn't be surprised but seeing this,_ actually _seeing this, is-_

I shouldn't think too much.

I clear my throat and readying myself to speak.

"Um… Hello." _Great conversation starter._ I clear my throat once more only to be interrupted.

"Good. You can speak," it (or she I should say considering the voice) began. " I feared I had wasted time and energy saving a creature that would not understand debt."

Her voice sounds… distorted? I put aside my surprise and speak the first thing I think of.

"What are you?" I inquire, trying very hard not to sound rude.

She seems to swell with pride at that. "I am a changeling", she states. "And I see my kind has done quite the job of staying out of site."

"I don't think it would be good to base something like that off of a singular encounter."

I'd like for her to elaborate on what exactly a changeling _is_ but It is best that I get home. I tell her just as much. With that I stand and look towards where my jumping spot _should_ be.

I'm sure you all know exactly what I mean but I'll say it anyway. It's gone. I collapse onto my rear and place a hand over my eyes, groaning louder than I had earlier. I lay on my back and roll onto my stomach so I face the changeling. She already seems to be waiting for me to speak.

"It seems I will be here longer than I originally expected so I will introduce myself." I inhale, preparing myself for what will inevitably be a series of unpleasant circumstances. "I am Dirk Forrester. If you have any questions please ask them now."

"Very well _Forrester_ ," she starts. "What manner of primate might you be?"

I wish I understood what sort of emotion was put in that sentence.

"I'm a human," I reply simply. "Next question."

"You said that you were goin-" I interrupt her, fully aware of what she is asking.

"I'm from another world and only reason I'm not in extreme denial right now is because I've been here before. Honestly I was being a bit naive thinking I could just hop back and forth with no consequences. My ancestors are probably rolling over in their graves, wishing that I had some semblance of intelligence. Whatever god controls probability probably saw this coming a million times over and hoped beyond all hope that I would somehow prove them wrong. So. I've answered your question. Any more?"

She seems a bit put off by my short, little rant. "No, I believe I've heard enough." She opens her mouth in what I assume will be another question but I have a few of my own.

"What exactly _are_ changelings?"

She sighs in a way that let's me know she isn't trying to hide how annoyed she is. "I will keep this short as I doubt your simple mind will understand the finer points." She's got me there. "Changelings are a race of, for lack of a better term, insectoid ponies with the ability to match the appearance of any animal we choose."

After she says this last part she goes up in a gout of green flame. I flinch, stepping away, until I notice the lack of heat that should be radiating from such an intense blaze. I watch the spectacle, concerned, but watching all the same. As the flames dissipate I am met with a rather interesting figure standing before me. In place of the dark creature is a mirror image of myself. Wait. _Near_ mirror image. Most details are spot on: the black hair, the slightly tanned skin, the grey hoodie and shorts. The only difference is the eyes where my copy has a seafoam in place of my brown. Another burst of emerald flame.

"See," the changeling says, now in what I will assume is her natural form.

I choose to ignore my internal protesting and throw another question. "I've kind of been calling you 'the changeling' in my mind so could I have your name?"

Once again she seems annoyed by my question but opens her mouth to answer anyways. "I am _Queen_ Chrysalis of the changelings."

After a moment of letting that hang in the air I sigh. She really seemed to want the title to stand out. I don't know for what reason though. I really am clueless when it comes to hierarchies or anything to do with authority.

"OK but I think I'll just call you Queen. 'Queen Chrysalis' sounds like I fear or hate you." I wish I could call her Chrysalis but I feel like omitting her title would be rude. I know that much at least.

"Very well. Though I believe we won't meet again." She says this and moves to leave.

"Well if this as bad as I think it is you're probably wrong." I think this to myself and she stops moving. OK I _thought_ I thought that to myself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud."

She turns back towards me. "Continue."

"Well I have no idea where I am. I could easily die out here. Another thing is that you mentioned a debt? If I'm supposedly indebted to you than would you really want me rolling over and dying?" I still have no Idea what she did that makes her believe I am in her debt. I ask her.

"You fell from a tree and I softened your fall with my magic." Magic. I probably wouldn't believe this if I wasn't the idiot who recklessly hopped between worlds and saw a _near_ perfect replica of myself a minute.

I sit up from my position on the ground and look towards the tree I was sleeping in. It is a _lot_ taller than I believed. A fall from that height actually would've killed me. I facepalm. _Why did I think it was be a good idea to climb that high?_ I start stretching myself out in a very cat-like manner before standing. I didn't notice until now but Queen is just a bit shorter than me, sans the horn. That's not important though.

"Anyway my point is that I need to find a place to stay. As such I need you to bring me somewhere to settle."

"There are several with that," Queen says this without even thinking on my request. "My species does not mix well with ponies, therefore we continue to stay out of sight. Secondly, as Queen I must tend to the needs of my children." Even if she didn't say it I can hear how much more important that second statement is.

Call me cold but I'd still rather not die in my element: the woods.

"It's not as If you have to stay with me, Queen," I'm mad at myself for doing this. "You can just bring me there and leave. As for the whole mixing thing, couldn't you just turn into a different creature? Like a cat!" I said a bit _too_ excitedly.

I swear, one day my love of cats is going to bite me in the bum.

She looks rather upset at the fact that I won't relent. She sighs and walks(trots?) closer to me. "Before we go," she says, her horn glowing a similar green to the fire earlier. Not giving me a chance to move away she presses her horn to my forehead. I feel something like a sticky film go over my eyes and then recede just as quickly.

That was it. No pain or nausea. Just a bit uncomfortable.

"So what as that, Queen?" I blink a few times.

"A mental link of sorts. So you'll know when you need to repay me." She says this as if it means absolutely nothing. "It is only one way so I can give you orders but you are unable to respond through it."

"I don't like the sound of taking orders. How about you say favors? At least that'll make me feel better." She doesn't respond because as I am finishing my sentence she sets to lighting herself ablaze once more. I don't back up this time but I still flinch a bit despite myself.

This time she emerges as a small black cat, looking quite similar- albeit younger- to the one I left behind. But of course she has the eyes wrong again. I tell her she needs to changer her eyes and she just shakes her little cat head.

"My eyes are rather unheard of so even if a pony has heard of changelings they likely can't tell by my eyes alone." I'm running that through my head but-

"Ponies?"

"Yes. The land we are in currently is Equestria, a land ruled by and full of ponies." Hearing a voice come from a cat is a bit weird.

"Oh."

"Let begin shall we?" As she says this she climbs up my body and just as she is about make the final leap from my shoulder to my head I stop her.

"I don't want you running your claws through my hair, Queen." She frowns(best as a cat can anyway) at that. "It's bad enough already." I could easily just put my hood on and let her but she would probably ruin that too. "Anyway where to?" Queen points in some obscure direction and I follow as best I can.

This method of travel lasts for a while. Queen, at some point decides to act more like a cat and naps (still sitting up) on my shoulder. I didn't even notice until I tried to ask for more directions only to get an earful of steady cat breathing. I woke her up and she would stay up for a good while, give me more directions, and eventually sleep. This process repeated several times of course.

Now, it is night so I have no intention of continuing. Queen is still sleeping so I try my best not to wake her. I walk to the nearest tree and cradle her in one arm. I look for the lowest branch, leap, and pull myself up. Normally I would like to climb higher but after almost dying earlier I'm planning on staying closer to the ground. This branch is stable enough. After settling on the branch I lay back and place Queen on my chest and look upward. My view of the sky is obscured by the tree but I imagine it's beautiful. But the silently whispering wind is enough for me. I close my eyes and sleep.

I wake feeling pangs of hunger. Queen, however is already awake. I hop down from the branch and Queen quickly follows, landing on my shoulder. My hunger has reminded of something rather important. I reach into my wet pocket and pull out a small plastic bag of berries; crushed, but I'm not picky. I bite into the corner of the bag and squeeze a bit, allowing a small amount of the natural juices to flow. At best this will only make me crave more but I can ride that out for the time being. I turn to the queen perched on my shoulder but she shakes her head, already aware of what I'm thinking. I shrug and hold the bag in my hand, afraid to put it back in pocket as it has a hole in it.

For the first time since I've woken up I look upwards only to see that the trees are completely blocking the sun. The queen takes notice of this and speaks. "We have moved into a different area. Take the lack of direct sunlight as a sign of progress."

I give her a small nod, because this forest gives off a different feeling than the one we were in previously. This feeling is making me a bit weary. Choosing to ignore my paranoia or not noticing it, Queen points me in a direction and I walk.

It isn't long before I have a question. "Why is it that ponies and changelings don't mix well?" I sound like a little kid asking why things die(I can proudly say that I have never felt the need to ask that).

"Changelings feed from emotions. This along with the fact that we can blend in virtually anywhere seems to bring fear to the citizens of Equestria." She tries to hide it but I can tell she is rather upset by this fact. She is a lot easier to read as a cat than she was as a changeling.

"Well I'm not gonna pretend I understand why they fear your nature." The conversation ends there.

We walk in silence not counting her telling me to change direction every so often. The bag has leaked the last of it's fluids over my hand and the sleeve of my hoodie, leaving whatever is left of the berries. I should wash this off when I get the chance. After what feels like at least another day of walking we reach the end of the forest. I look out ahead of me and see a small town bustling with ponies, far more colorful than any creature has the right to be. I turn around and walk back into forest. Not far from the edge but enough.

I tear the bag holding the berries and let them spill across the ground. "There," I'm speaking mostly to myself right now. "Whatever wants 'em can take 'em." I return to the edge of the forest and head out towards the town.

I make it about three paces into the town before every pony there stops and stares at me. Their eyes all show fear or a fear-laced curiosity. In an attempt to somehow ease their fears I raise my hand and wave.

Then some begin to scream and run while others faint on the spot. The queen, wanting nothing more to do with this, whispers a quick "Good luck" and hops from my shoulder, dashing in some random direction. I try to imagine what I did to cause such a reaction. I waved and that was it. Now I'm hit with a realization. I waved with my dominant hand(my right hand): also known as the one covered in the juices of red berries that probably look a lot like blood.

I almost facepalm at my stupidity but think better of it. _It's best I don't spread this stuff around anymore. I probably have a bit on my teeth already._ As soon as I think that I begin running my tongue across my teeth fervently.

I look up from my hand and see five ponies charging down towards me. They appear to be conversing with each other and moving with resolve. This must be this town's authority. The five ponies stop a few paces in front me. A winged blue pony speaks up.

"See it already took out some ponies!" A female. "It needs to be given a few hard bucks out of town!"

My hand wants so badly to reconnect with my face after such long separation but I refuse. I respond. "First, I'm a he, not an it. Second, I didn't touch any of them. They all kind of just fainted."

The blue one speaks up again. "Then how do you explain the-" hesitation. "the blood on your hand!?"

My hand is twitching now. "It's not blood."

"Then what is it?" This comes from a horned lavender pony. Another female.

"I had a bag of berries. The berries were crushed though so the juices got all over my hand and sleeve." I probably should've explained that to begin with and saved them the trouble of asking.

A pink pony bounces on her hooves and I mean _bounces_. "Wowie! That must've been a _loooooooot_ of berries!"

Her enthusiasm is very off-putting. "It really wasn't. I kind of bit a hole in the bag so it was just leaking." My mouth twitches and almost goes into a nervous smile but I clench my mouth tight. Better not show my canines and worry them more.

"Well Ah think that's reasonable 'nuf." This comes from an orange pony sporting a hat and (God forgive me) a mane tied into a ponytail. Another female. Is this world comprised entirely of females?

The final pony (who will assume is another female) opens her mouth as if to add her own two cents but looks far to the right. "Fluttershy! Where have you been, darling?" The white mare has a rather over-the-top mane style and her voice has an upper-class tone of voice.

The pony (presumably Fluttershy) flies incredibly close to the ground and answers the white mare's calls. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but on my way here I came across this cat and she looked so frightened I thought I might cheer her up." So I look and in her hooves is a black cat squirming for all she's worth.

In the second that follows there is the sound of wonderfully painful reunion between face and hand(along with the horrible feeling of having something sticky wiped across my face). The sound gets Fluttershy's attention and she squeaks in surprise seeing me squatted down, face in hand, surrounded by still unconscious ponies. In her surprise she drops the queen who quickly runs over and onto my head instead of her assigned place on my shoulder.

"Great job _leaving._ " I whisper into my hand. The queen runs her claws through my scalp and in the process actually makes me bleed. "Enough of that!" I try and pry her from my head only for me to find that her claws are now tangled into my hair. "Are you kidding me?! What did I tell you about sitting on my head?" In one final effort I manage to separate Queen from my scalp, probably taking a more than a few hairs with her. I put her on my shoulder and my hood on my head.

I look over my shoulder to see the six mares staring at me with curious expressions. Well, five of the mares; the one named Fluttershy- rather adorably- is half hidden behind her mane and the uppity horned pony (Rarity I guess?).

I stand up stretching and attempting to keep in a yawn. Failing, but I tried. "I take it you five are this town's figures of authority. Or is it all six of you?" Best find out what position I'm in right now.

The lavender mare steps forward in a way that says 'I'm in control of the situation'. "Hello. I am Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash." She points to each respectively. _I bet it's really easy to have a unique name here_ , I think. _Or extremely difficult._

"Cool. Thanks for the introduction and all but you didn't answer my question." I'm probably coming of as rude but I need the information.

She huff at my statement. "No, we are not. There is a mayor here in Ponyville." Ponyville?

"Then why isn't _the mayor_ handling this?" I think this conversation is going rather well.

"The six of us are more of the authority on security issues." Surprising. My hand once again kisses my face. When I asked if they were figures of authority she said no and now she says yes? I mention this to her.

"The way you phrased it implied that we are leaders in this town. We're not." Well that was simple enough.

"Well thanks for answering my questions. I'm Dirk Forrester. It's nice to meet you. I'll be staying here for a while." Queen doesn't seem to mind that I didn't introduce her. _She really can play a role though._

Pinkie Pie gasps loudly, leaping into the air and stays suspended there far longer than should be possible. I open my mouth to speak but she just zooms away. Every muscle in my body is aching to just sprint in the opposite direction. I really shouldn't though.

"Is there a lake nearby? I need to wash my hoodie. And my face." I gesture to myself , trying to make a point. I have a stain in my shorts as well but I don't mind that much. Rainbow Dash, still eyeing me skeptically, points towards the woods but quite a bit to my right. I turn in said direction and see a large, unmistakable lake.

"Oh. Thanks." I begin to walk but stop immediately. "Um. Is there somewhere I should meet you all after this?"

"Come to the library when you're done." Twilight states happily. "It's inside of a tree so you can't miss it!"

 _What tree is that thick?_ But instead of questioning it I nod and continue to the lake. I reach it uneventful and strip off my top. I bend over and try my best to complete the difficult task over washing something in still water. Queen watches me struggle seeming to enjoy my misery.

"Queen, aren't you planning on leaving?" Honestly I thought she would be gone by now.

"I have decided that I cannot trust you to keep the existence of changelings a secret. They can take care of themselves for the time being." She says this with no hesitation.

Smart. It was only a matter of time before I screwed that up.

I dip my head into the water and scrub furiously at my face. When I sit back up the queen is sitting on my hoodie. It's not very clean anyway. I nudge her off of it and sling it over my shoulder.

"Hop on Queen but _please_ don't dig your claws in anymore than you need to!" I tell her this but when she climbs my bare back it feels like she's trying _really_ hard to dig her claws in. It hurts but I've gotten plenty of cuts of a far worse caliber. It's still annoying though.

She looks disappointed by my lack of reaction and stops pushing so deeply. I begin to walk in the direction of _Ponyville_ and the changeling queen whispers in my ear. "Why are you not wearing your clothing?"

 _This a lot more awkward than it should._ "It's wet and the purpose of it is keep me warm. Being wet defeats the purpose. Really I could go without my hoodie. I only need the shorts." _That's not gonna stop me from wearing it when I can though._

The town looks empty so I'm assuming the citizens are all shut inside of their houses. It does not take long to find the library and Twilight was not lying. It really is inside of a tree. The door is a bit short though; I practically have to squat to get inside. I couldn't tell from the outside but it's really dark in here. _This is a library! If I came here to read how could I?_

Of course before I'm halfway through the door when I'm assaulted by one loud shout of 'WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!'. I jump at the sudden ear violation and end up slamming the back of my head into the doorframe. I fall to my knees and clutch the back of my head. I feel a hoof touch my shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I look up to see Fluttershy looking at me, concern written across her features. I feel bad for saying this but when she's worried she looks really cute.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just surprised is all." I'm still aching but it really isn't that bad.

Pinkie zips up in front of me, smiling so wide I swear her face will rip in half. "Well duh! That was the point, silly! It's your welcome party after all!" I don't know how I feel about being called silly but whatever.

"So a party to welcome me? Thanks, I guess." I suddenly remember that I have no shirt on _for a reason._ "Hey Twilight," I say picking her from the crowd of six. "My hoodie is still wet so can I just hang it on the balcony?" When I finish with my request Twilight's horn lights up and my hoodie just *poofs*. I look around for a bit but eventually settle my attention back to Twilight. She beams up at me. I really didn't pay attention but I'm quite a bit taller than these ponies. So far they've only come up to my waist.

"Your shirt should be on the balcony now!" She looks pleased with herself.

"Thanks. So this is a party right? Why are just sitting here?" Pinkie seems to take this as a cue to play music _as loudly as possible._ I won't complain though. Over the course of what I think is around ten minutes, the mares all reintroduce themselves to me. Pinkie basically asks how I like the party and I compliment her on the muffins but do _not_ mention how she puts far too much sugar in her cupcakes. Fluttershy takes up the least time and I basically control the entire conversation after the words 'hi'. Applejack somehow grabs my hand and crushes it in a handshake. She apologizes of course and I'm left to nurse my swollen appendage. Rarity complains about how 'drab and dull' my clothes are and how she will make me something more 'fitting'. Twilight tries to wrestle info out of me, proving to be quite the scholar, but I convince her to wait until we're not having a party.

Now I'm full up on muffins and slouching against a wall. Without my hoodie I'm cold and the cold is making me hungry. The frustration of wanting to eat but not being able to is painful. Of course, Rainbow Dash chooses now to reintroduce herself. She flies right up in my face and starts talking.

"I know Twilight introduced me herself but I think it would sound a _lot_ better coming from." I can almost see her head inflating. "I am Rainbow Dash; the best and fastest flier in Equestria!"

"How can you fly with an ego larger than your wingspan?" _There's my mouth moving twenty paces ahead of my brain._ Rainbow Dash fumes at this and looks just about ready to bash my head into the wall.I see the changeling queen (who is in my lap at the moment) put a paw over her mouth, probably trying to conceal laughter.

Rainbow Dash just puffs and flies to the other side of the room. Twilight approaches me seconds later with my hoodie floating in a light magenta field behind her.

"Here is your clothing Dirk!" Are all ponies this happy? I nod and grab for my hoodie only for it to move out of reach.

"Twilight, I'm freezing."

She just smiles like she's waiting for something. I grab for my top again and this time it vanishes reappearing above Twilight. I just stare at her. _If she wants a thank you she is_ really _isn't getting one now._ I leap again feigning a grab at my hoodie. The hoodie zips away again but it isn't my target. I reach out and flick Twilight's horn. It immediately goes from a steady to a sputtering light as Twilight puts a hoof against her forehead. My hoodie falls to the floor and I scoop it up as quickly as I can.

I run back over to Twilight and sit on my knees. "Are you alright Twilight? You're not hurt right?" I really am concerned. I should've thought about the repercussions of flicking her horn like that.

She looks at me, a bit disoriented but not too bad. "I'm alright just dazed." Now is when I turn to see every mare (aside from Pinkie Pie who is completely oblivious) in the room staring at me. I laugh nervously. Being nervous is making me hungry so I grab another muffin and bite into it and return to my spot against the wall. I should've grabbed more muffins but now I'm too nervous to get up and grab more.

The rest of the party goes on with me trying to stay out of the mares. I succeed excluding Pinkie who seemed to glue herself to my side once I tried to avoid them all.

Honestly this is probably the most complicated day of my life.

 _ **Authors Note**_

So… Um… This seems like a good enough start for this fic. Unfortunately I've already lost control of the story. I have one idea that I'm going to make sure gets put in and if I can help it there will be no need to add a romance tag to this story. Read and Review guys. Thanks?


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